Researcher

Associate Professor Jung-Sook Lee

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Social work, Social policy, Sociology of education, Sociology of inequalities, Education policy, sociology and philosophy, Sociology of migration, ethnicity and multiculturalism

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Biography

Jung-Sook Lee is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S.W. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, U.S.A. Her research focuses on educational and social policy provisions to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantages. She has published research papers on the wellbeing of vulnerable children and families, diversity, multicultural practice, social justice, educational equity,...view more

Jung-Sook Lee is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S.W. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, U.S.A. Her research focuses on educational and social policy provisions to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantages. She has published research papers on the wellbeing of vulnerable children and families, diversity, multicultural practice, social justice, educational equity, home-school partnerships, and school social work. She is the first author of a much-cited article, 'Parent involvement, cultural capital, and the achievement gap among elementary school children (Lee & Bowen 2006)’. She was a chief investigator of 2 ARC-funded projects. She was recognised in Stanford's World's Top 2% Researcher rankings (Social Work in 2021 and Education in 2023).


My Grants

2015-2018 Australian Research Council Linkage Grant [LP150100528]. Lost in Transition: Young People with Complex Support Needs [Dowse, Mendes, Strnadova, Lee, Cumming, Snow, Smith, Ellem, Birt] $392,200

2013-2016 Australian Research Council Linkage Grant [LP130101010]. Long-term Outcomes of Forgotten Australian Study [Fernandez, Lee, Courtney, Stein, Foote, Cheers, Pocock, Gray, Walsh, Conroy] $240,000

2013-2015 The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund. Ubuntu Care: Evaluating a child-centered approach to reducing sexual violence against children with disabilities in Burundian society [Pittaway, Bartolomei, Lee] €89,408 equivalent to $96,621


My Qualifications

PhD & MSW, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

MEd & BA, Seoul National University, South Korea


My Awards

LSAY Research Innovation and Expansion Fund Research Fellowship, National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Australia (2008-2009)

Spencer Fellowship in Education Policy Research, USA (2005-2007)

Fulbright Scholarship, USA (2003-2005)


My Research Activities

Current Research Projects

  • Equity in Education: A project to investigate people’s beliefs and attitudes about equity in education. It examines various issues related to educational equity such as people’s perceptions of equity in the current school system, their understanding of the concept of equity in education, their normative beliefs about educational equity, and their preferences for educational practices and policy to achieve equity in education.
  • Social Work in Diverse Society: An interdisciplinary study to explore the issues of toleration, respect, recognition, and power in social work discourse.

 

Past Research Projects 

  • Lost in Transition - Young People with Complex Support Needs:  A project to understand the lives of young people with complex support needs who experience overlapping forms of disadvantage and frequent transitions between services, institutions and care environments (funded by the ARC).
  • The Long-term Outcomes of Forgotten Australians: A project to understand life experiences of 'care leavers' who have lived in all types of institutions and other forms of out-of-home-care as children (funded by the ARC).
  • An Evaluation Study of the Ubuntu Care Project: A study to evaluate a project that aimed to prevent sexual abuse among children with a disability in Burundi, Africa (funded by the Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund).
  • Education and Life Chances of Young People: A project to explore the role of education in shaping young people’s life chances including employment, income, social participation, and wellbeing.
  • The Effects of Poverty on Children’s Outcomes: A project to investigate the effects of poverty on children’s physical, socio-emotional, learning, and health outcomes. The duration, timing, and depth of poverty are given special considerations.
  • Social Work Services in Australian Schools: A project to investigate the current situations of and possibilities for social work services in Australian schools.

My Research Supervision


Areas of supervision

child and youth wellbeing, vulnerable children and their families, home-school partnerships, early intervention, diversity, social inequality and mobility, social science research


Currently supervising

Nirosha Boaden - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in rural and remote schools (the recipient of the Norma Parker Award)

Murni Sianturi - Technology and family-school partnerships for Indigenous students (Scientia PhD candidate)

MD Badiuzzaman - Technology and family-school partnerships for students with disabilities (Scientia PhD candidate)

Ziyan Zhou - School-home partnership, supportive training, and school counsellor's self-efficacy

 


My Engagement

Editorial Boards

  • Children and Youth Services Review (2022–present)
  • Social Science Studies (2012–2018)
  • Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts (2013–2016)

 

Professional Memberships

  • The Australian Sociological Association (2021–present)
  • Australian Association for Research in Education (2021–2023)
  • Society for Social Work and Research, U.S.A. (2007–2013)
  • National Association of Social Workers, U.S.A. (2008–2009)

 

Media engagement


My Teaching

Current teaching

  • SOCW1004 Lifespan, Health, and Resilience
  • SOCW2008 Culture, Identity, and Diversity
  • SRAP5101 Research Methods and Project Design

 

Previous teaching

  • SRAP1001 Social Research and Society
  • SOCW2001 Human Behaviour 2
  • SOCW2005 Research for Social Work
  • SOCW3007 Research Methods 2
  • SOCW3005 Research Honours
  • SRAP2002 Policy Analysis
  • SRAP3001 Quantitative Social Research
  • SRAP3002 Social Research and Policy Project
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Location

140 Morven Brown

Contact

+61 (2) 9065 1271
+61 (2) 9662 8991